ENGLISH 318/001

"Genre Blends"

Professor Mark Brazaitis

Office: Stansbury 458

Office telephone: 293-3107 ex. 402

Email: MarkBraz@yahoo.com

Class Hours: MWF, 12:30-1:20

Office Hours: Mondays (3:30-5:00), Wednesdays (3:30-6:30) and by appointment

Objective: In this class, you will gain a greater understanding of multi-genre work (i.e. work that includes some combination of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction). As a writer, you will also try your hand at writing multi-genre work.

Requirements: Over the course of the semester, you will read at least five works that incorporate (or seem to incorporate) more than one genre. You wil1 also write at least one long multi-genre work and at least four shorter multi-genre pieces.

Quizzes: Whenever a reading is assigned, you will be quizzed on it. This brief, objective quiz is designed to give credit to students who do the reading and to encourage everyone to participate in class discussion about the works we read. Although there will be no make-up quizzes, your worst quiz score, including a quiz you might have missed, will be eliminated.

Take-Home Assignments: Take-home assignments are given below. Take-home assignments should be typed, double-spaced. Please hand in the take-home assignments on time, as late assignments will only receive half credit.

Texts: Jimmy & Rita (Kim Addonizio); Burning Bright (John Steinbeck); The Body and the Book (Julia Kasdorf); Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (Audre Lorde); and Cane (Jean Toomer)

Grades: Grades in this class will be based on the following: attendance (20 percent), quizzes (30 percent), take-home assignments (30 percent), and longer multi-genre work (20 percent).

Class Schedule and Day-to-Day Assignments

Monday, January 14: Getting acquainted

Wednesday, January 16: What's in a genre?

Friday, January 18: Read: Part One of Jimmy & Rita.

Monday, January 21: Martin Luther King Day–no class

Wednesday, January 23: Read: Part Two of Jimmy & Rita.

Friday, January 25: Read: Part Three of Jimmy & Rita.

Monday, January 28: Take-home assignment: Write three narrative, inter-related poems.

Wednesday, January 30: Read: Act One of Burning Bright.

Friday, February : Read: Acts Two and Three of Burning Bright.

Monday, February 4: Take-home assignment: Write a scene (five pages maximum) of a play/novelette.

Wednesday, February 6: Read: Part 1 ("A Place to Begin) in The Body and the Book.

Friday, February 8: Read: Part II ("Writing Home") in The Body and the Book.

Monday, February 11: Read: Part III ("The Witness a Body Bears") in The Body and the Book.

Wednesday, February 13: Read: Part IV ("Conclusion") in The Body and the Book.

Friday, February 15: Take-home assignment: Write a personal essay/memoir piece in which you also incorporate a poem or two (five pages maximum).

Monday, February 18: Read: Chapters 1-10 of Zami: A New Spelling of My Name.

Wednesday, February 20: Read: Chapters I 1-20 of Zami: A New Spelling of My Name.

Friday, February 22: Read: Chapters 21-Epilogue of Zami: A New Spelling of My Name.

Monday, February 25: Take-home assignment: Write a brief biomythology (five pages maximum).

Wednesday, February 27: Read: "Karintha" through "Blood-Burning Moon" in Cane.

Friday, March 1: Read: "Seventh Street" through "Bona and Paul" in Cane.

Monday, March 4: Read: "Kabnis" in Cane.

Wednesday, March 6: Writing day–no class–happy writing.

Friday, March 8: Catch-up and review. First workshop piece due.

Monday, March 11: Workshop

Wednesday, March 13: Workshop

Friday, March 15: Workshop

Monday, March 18: Workshop

Wednesday, March 20: Workshop

Friday, March 22: Workshop

Saturday, March 23-Sunday, March 31 SPRING BREAK RECESS

Monday, April 1: Workshop

Wednesday, April 3: Workshop

Friday, April 5: Workshop

Monday, April 8: Workshop

Wednesday, April 10: Workshop

Friday, April 12: Workshop

Monday, April 15: Workshop

Wednesday, April 17: Workshop

Friday, April 19: Workshop

Monday, April 22: Workshop

Wednesday, April 24: Workshop

Friday, April 26: Workshop

Monday, April 29: Workshop

Wednesday, May 1: Workshop

Friday, May 3: Workshop